Slipping Through His Fingers
by Pokemon Ranger-Trainer
Summary: Inspired by that scene from 'Mamma Mia'. Cyrus feels the shame of having been an unattentive father to Dawn. After Johanna tells Cyrus about Dawn's life up to when she was thirteen, he questions his self-worth and yearns to make things right. Contains just a hint of romance towards the end.


**Inspired by that song from **_**Mamma Mia**_**, which I do not own except for on my iPod. I do not own Pokémon (though many of us dream of such a position). I have always thought of Dawn being the daughter of Cyrus, and it has been that way in my stories since before I got this account. One-shot. A bit of romance at the end. Enjoy!**

In the peaceful town of Twinleaf Town, on a Saturday afternoon, a man named Cyrus sat in his home. Dawn was out with her boyfriend, Lucas, so Cyrus took the opportunity to watch the movie _Mamma Mia!_ There was one scene in particular that spoke to him. It was the scene where Meryl Streep sang 'Slipping Through My Fingers'. Once a hardened psycho bent on destroying the world and replacing it with a new one, Cyrus finally decided to be his daughter's father. However, there was one problem. She was thirteen-and-a-half years old when he finally made that decision. Cyrus' wife, Johanna, sat down next to him. She greeted, "Hey, Cy. Is something the matter?"

"Just the same old thing," Cyrus shook his head, not looking at his wife.

"Just tell me. It's our second marriage together, and you're an easy guy to read since I know what to look for," Johanna sighed and pleaded.

"Fine," Cyrus sighed. "It's Dawn. I never even got the chance to watch her grow. The last time I saw her before I left, she was a baby. The next time I saw her, I was her opponent, a madman bent on destruction for the sake of creation, or at least, what I believed to be creation. When I came back anew, she was thirteen and a half. Now, she's sixteen! She's wearing bras, kissing boys, playing guitar, and chasing her dreams! I was so stupid to leave."

"I know how you feel to an extent. I watch her grow, and I can't believe that she's come so far. It feels like yesterday when she was little. I guess time goes faster when you're older, watching someone else grow before your eyes, going through what you've gone through," Johanna responded, answering to her husband's feelings. "Cyrus, just remember she loves you. You came back, so you can't be as heartless as you brand yourself to be."

"I succumbed to madness. I submitted to it. I abandoned you and her, and nearly destroyed Sinnoh, followed by the world. I held her hostage and manipulated her patron, Mesprit. What have I missed over the years? Johanna, please give me every detail," Cyrus begged.

"Alright," Johanna sighed. "You missed her learning to ride a bike, going to kindergarten, and her singing. You missed hearing her amazing voice. You've missed her become an optimist, always seeing the bright side and saying 'no need to worry'. You missed her get her first guitar…"

"When did she learn to even play guitar?" Cyrus asked.

"Lucas taught her," Johanna answered and continued, "You've missed her become a Pokémon Trainer and come to a close second in the Sinnoh Grand Festival. You've missed her first steps, even."

"I feel so void," Cyrus muttered. "How could I have let such precious time go by?"

"You haven't been letting it go by since she was thirteen."

"What difference does it make? She started puberty before that happened! Sixteen…I do remember when she was born. Wow, she's so much like you! Even now it astonishes me."

"She has the spirit you have—or had—or still have. It's the fire in your heart that you had when we dated, and when we got engaged, and then when we got married. I don't know where it went, and I don't think I would recognize it if it came back in you, but I see it in her," Johanna put a hand on Cyrus' shoulder.

"Thank you, Johanna," Cyrus thanked his wife for her support. "I have an idea. There was something I have for her that I have been saving, but I think now is the time to give it to her." He put a hand in his pocket and went to Lake Verity, where he knew he would find his darling daughter and her boyfriend. "Dawn?"

Dawn turned her head to her father. She had her mother's sapphire eyes. She greeted, "Oh, hey, Dad."

"Hello, Mr. Berlitz," Lucas greeted him politely.

"Hello, Lucas. Dawn, there is something I wanted to give to you. I wasn't able to get it in time for your sixteenth birthday, so I was saving it for when you turned seventeen. But I just have to give it to you now," Cyrus explained his presence to his offspring.

"Well, what is it?" she asked innocently. Her father held out a pink, velvet box and then placed it in her hands. Before she could get the wrong idea, she opened it. Inside was a beautiful platinum necklace. Attached to the chain were her entwined initials, 'DB'. The 'B' looked a bit like a heart. "Wow! Oh, Dad, it's beautiful!"

"Lucas, I would like to give you the honor of putting it on her. It makes me happy to know that a nice boy has been watching out for my daughter," Cyrus bestowed the necklace to Lucas.

"Thank you, sir. I'm not the only one who has been there for her, but it's my pleasure to be her boyfriend," Lucas bowed and took the necklace. He stood in front of Dawn, and held each end of the necklace in the fingers of each hand. Both hands went behind her neck and joined the disconnected ends.

"Thanks, Lucas. And thank you, Dad," Dawn hugged her father. "You're the best."

_That's a lie,_ Cyrus thought in his head. He kept his thoughts to himself. He didn't want her to hear him questioning his worth. That wasn't what either of them needed. Had Dawn forgiven him for his terrible wrongs? All of his terrible wrongs? Had she completely forgotten? Maybe Johanna was right. Maybe Cyrus did get his fire back. Maybe his spirit was still alive, even after he tried to banish it, along with the whole concept of spirit in general. Cyrus couldn't see what was in Dawn's mind, though he wished he did at times. She was slipping through his fingers all the time.

"I love you, Dad," Dawn said as she hugged her father.

"I love you, too, Dawn," Cyrus replied sincerely.

_End_

**Brock, Ash, & Thomas (my OC): (crying)**

**Barry: What's wrong with you** **guys?**

**Brock: That was beautiful! **

**Thomas: Makes me remember when my dad was still alive.**

**Ash: (sobbing) I wish I knew my dad! (blows his nose)**

**Barry: Clean up on aisle 4!**

**Ash: Shut up! **


End file.
